I am NOT a professional. Anything can be changed/fixed with the right amount of money. But not everyone has the money. Sometimes we put our expectations to things we see on TV or in a magazine but we can also embrace what we have and work with it. Maybe others will have a different opinion, but your cabinets are lovely & appear very clean & in good shape. My eye goes to the ceiling though and I had that ceiling texture in my old house. It is a little dated. The area rug seems a bit too big but if you like it, that is all that matters. Counters and floors look great. I am not sure about painting the fridge stainless...it may look like a fridge painted stainless. It too looks very clean and in good shape so I would live with it until it needs to be replaced, then invest in one you really love because it is a focal point in the room. The light fixtures being changed out will help. As far as style & colors, I am hoping the more seasoned & experienced chime in. Your kitchen is really nice.

That’s a really bad layout. Wait until you have the funds to fix that. Forget the Pinterest “fixes” that just ruin things and cost you money.

The big project here, when you and the budget are up to it, will be doing the ceilings (probably throughout the house.) For now, I suggest LED lights under the upper cabinets, and a new ceiling fixture and one to replace the fan. No one wants dust blowing around the kitchen or over the dining table. Here's the concept for lighting, although these may not be the ones for you. They are alike but one is semi-flush for the kitchen and the other a pendant to replace the fan. These may not be the size you need or the finish you want. Back to the cabinets; they look fine but you could give them some bling with pulls (maybe to match the new lighting fixtures' finish.) Remove the rug and rethink that entirely unless the floor underneath is damaged.

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In my opinion, the only eyesore in the kitchen is the fridge. And pairing it stainless won’t improve it. I still have a big white whale in my kitchen, so I sympathize. I’d take whatever money you planned on spending on updates and buy a new counter depth fridge.

I would not waste time painting those cabinets, they are in great shape and look good.

paint the room

add hardware to the cabinets

use a directional light bar to give a more full light ( even tho the fluorescent is ugly it give way more light than what you are going to get from something new)

Spend the cabinet paint money on under cab lighting.

Remove the fan and swag hook a small chandelier or a pendant over your kitchen table.

Why do you have a large rug in that room? Do you need it?

Painting the fan black will only make it jump out at you, not the room for "hiiiii im a ceiling fan"

Also, paint the whole room....it will be entirely disjointed otherwise. stoping the paint at the french doors would be very strange.

add a recessed light or a slim line flush mount over the sink or a mono point fixture

Thank you! This has all been super helpful. Rug is there and will probably stay there to help my old dog not slide around (we have not great rugs throughout for this reason). But maybe a smaller one would be better? The dream would definitely be updating the ceiling.

Is it possible to change stove and refrigerator locations?

Ohh swaping those locations is a great idea. I’ll have to keep it in mind and look into it.

That would really make a difference. I think maybe that is what is throwing it off for me. You usually see the fridge off on the side instead of straight on.

I agree with everything RL Relocation is saying. Find a pretty color to brighten up the space.

If the stove is electric, you have a 220 line for it. You would have to have an electrician run a new 220 line to the fridge area in order to move it, which sounds like it's beyond the scope of what you want to do. The fridge is also likely wider than the stove. Instead, keep your eye on the Black Friday sales that will be here before we know it for a new, counter depth fridge to replace your existing. Another fairly inexpensive thing you may consider is adding a couple of open shelves over the last cabinet by the french door. It would give a spot to add some pretty, decorative accessories and bring in some color.

Hi Morgan E,

We can definitely give your kitchen a face lift with one of our glass lighting designs. We can replace those florescent light bars with some modern statement pieces that you and your guest will love. We always offer FREE DESIGN SERVICES to our clients making it extremely easy to get what you want without worrying about all the measurements. Take a look on what we can achieve together. We can help!

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